Return Home - and "Big Boy Camp"

Aimee and Drew returned home from camp on Saturday, both tanned and tired, but both reporting a great week. I asked them if they were ever homesick, and Aimee replied, "Yes!," then added, "I really missed Duchess [her kitten]." Drew waved his hand nonchalantly, "Well, I tried to be, but I was too busy." While my mother heart felt a slight pang, I rallied, knowing it was okay, and just the way it should be. Camp is a place for spreading one's wings. But at the same time, they did seem glad to be home. Aimee gave us an exuberant account of her week, until she finally crashed from exhaustion, and we encouraged her to enjoy some space in her room for a little while. Drew, male-like, had to be prompted for every detail, but from what I gathered, he really liked his counselor and cabin-mates, and tubing was his favorite activity. They both went to bed early, and are still getting readjusted to being back home, but it is good to have them back.

While they were gone, the little boys and I had "camp" of our own. I suggested once, without thinking apparently, that we call it "The Little Meesters Camp," and Ryan instantly recoiled in disgust. "NO!" he protested. "We'll call it "Big Boy Camp," so that's what it was. "Big Boy Camp" began with Ryan's pick of cartoons in the morning, to his great delight, followed by a quick dip in the kiddie pool before heading off the library for preschool story time. We went to the 2 year-old version, and as we settled into our spots in the room, I immediately realized that Chase was a different kind of 2 year-old than the vast majority of his peers there. That isn't meant to sound like mother-pride at all, especially because I didn't know at first if that was a good thing or a bad thing. I am reporting it now as a completely neutral observation, hoping that it will be taken that way. The fact is that Chase has never physically looked like a toddler, in the first place. He went, as my mom said, straight from being a baby to being a kid. He's never had a toddler's physique or gait. He's always been lean and lanky, and proportioned like a much older child. In the second place, at least since he's been mobile, he's always assumed he's one of the big kids, and I suppose that's just from being a fourth child. We have, in turn, treated him like everyone else, so he's never had the strictly toddler or preschool experiences (in TV shows, the preschool variety of which I do admit I purposefully avoid, or going to storytime, etc.). He absorbs most of his information from sources directed to older recipients. So as we sat there among the other moms and little ones, I wondered if perhaps I had cheated him out of something. I also realized that many of those mothers and their more typical toddlers would probably be intimidated by him and his -ahem! -rougher style of play. We were, for better of for worse, rather out of place, and Chase was bored. But later, after thinking it over, I felt, as I mentioned above, that it was probably neither one extreme or the other - it's just who he is, and that's okay. While I don't think there's anything wrong with the preschool experience, I also don't think it's absolutely necessary. How many children, all over the world and throughout time, have grown up into their family circle and society without a number of activities and stimulation carefully directed toward every stage of their childhood? And that with no ill side-effects or stunting of growth.

After a nap and quiet time that afternoon, we grabbed a pizza and ate it outside by their pool. No mess, no fuss - which, by the way, was admittedly a plus during the week. They were game for just about anything, unlike their older siblings, whose burgeoning independence sometimes resists spontaneity and flexibility (i.e. sometimes there's alot of complaining!).

Later in the week, we went to the zoo, where we rode ALL the rides. I let them ride the train, the pony rides, and the carousel - in short, I completely let the zoo rip me off, but for half of what it would normally have cost me. The boys thought it was great, though, to get to all the things that requests for which are usually met with a resounding NO. Another day we had lunch at McDonald's, and on the last day, we went swimming at a friend's house before coming home to get everything ready for Dave to come home, and then the kids the next morning. We were happy to see the other half of our family, but it was also sweet to have a whole week with my little boys.